Kukla's Korner Hockey

Gaborik, the Minnesota Wild’s star forward, is exactly one game into his comeback from a serious groin/stomach ailment that kept him out of the line-up for the previous 34 games — and he and that stability ball are going to become very well-acquainted in the foreseeable future.
“They already are,” said Doug Risebrough, the Wild’s general manager, with a laugh.
Risebrough, of course, is equally well-acquainted with the sort of ailment that Gaborik has been fighting throughout his career. A groin injury eventually ended Risebrough’s career in 1987 and even in the last few years that he did play, he devoted almost as much energy to preparing for games than he did playing them.

HC Connected: With the flu bug no longer an issue for the Montreal Canadiens, the dressing room along with all sticks and equipment have been disinfected and the Habs are ready to take on the Atlanta Thrashers Tuesday. Cristobal Huet will get the start in goal.
It’s not all clear on the injury front, however. Montreal will be without Radek Bonk (stiff neck), Garth Murray (hand) and Steve Begin (back).

Thank goodness. This bug is going around, and anybody who’s had it knows it is vicious

from what I like to call the “State of the Caps” address from Ted Leonsis,

Many of you have probably heard me talk about the Washington Capitals’ approach to blogs; others may have even found this column via a blog, perhaps even my own – Ted’s Take. Allow me to expand a bit on our beliefs, our approach and what I believe the future holds for blogs in the NHL and professional sports.
If you know my background with AOL, you know that I’m passionate about the web and the way people use it. Blogs are nothing new to those of us who follow the web, but they have never been more powerful. Blogs gained widespread recognition during the 2004 presidential election for their ability to rally like-minded individuals and raise money for candidates. Over time, the number of blogs has exploded, while the best blogs have gained even more readership. Time magazine named “You” as its Man of the Year for a reason….
We might not always like what a blogger posts – but we won’t always agree with what the Post writes, either. Just because this is a new type of journalism, however, we aren’t going to shut them off from the access other writers receive. By inviting bloggers to interact with our staff and players, I believe they will gain a perspective that they otherwise could never have.

You’ve heard it before: the best moves are sometimes the ones that a team’s management doesn’t make.
And so we have a tale of two cities—Philadelphia and Phoenix—that are heading in opposite directions.
Return with us now to Oct. 24, 2006. The Flyers, having played six of their first eight games on the road, have stumbled to a 1-6-1 start. They’d finished the previous season with 101 points, 45-26-11, and everyone has predicted in preseason polls that the Flyers would make the playoffs.

There was also plenty of talk on the radio call-in shows and along media row about Trevor Linden.
He had lost a step, some suggested. His hands were gone, others said. He was too old. The Vancouver Canucks made a mistake bringing him back. There was more, but you get the picture.
If Linden heard any of this, he didn’t pay attention. He just did what he has always done in an NHL career now in its 19th year. He came to the rink determined to do whatever he could to help the team win.
Lately, he has been doing quite a lot.

When you’re the size of Zdeno Chara, the simple “upper” or “lower” body ailment does not apply—you need to add a “middle” category.
The Bruins’ defenceman will miss his homecoming game versus the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday with what is being called a mystery “middle body” injury. Chara, who has not played since the 10-2 loss to Toronto, remains quiet on what exactly caused “it.”

Everyone has seen the grainy, home-filmed footage of the young Wayne Gretzky, still unsteady on his feet, learning to skate on his backyard skating rink.
It’s an image that’s wholesome and nostalgic and one that undoubtedly has fuelled dreams of becoming an NHL hockey star.
But whether you are bound for the Olympics, the National Hockey League, the Ice Capades or just want a little exercise, you don’t have to dream about having a skating rink.

Despite a successful 15-year career, the NHL All-Star Game has meant just one thing to Slava Kozlov: a couple of days off in midseason.
That may not be the case this time, however.
The All-Star choices will be announced beginning tonight, and the Atlanta Thrashers feel that the 34-year-old Kozlov has already gone too long without the recognition he deserves.
“I sure hope he makes it,” said Thrashers coach Bob Hartley, who will be an assistant for the Eastern Conference at Dallas on Jan. 24. “He’s very deserving. I don’t know where we’d be right now without him.”